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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27533893">falling for the sun</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fayfairy/pseuds/fayfairy'>fayfairy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore Fusion, M/M, References to Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore, Twelve Gods of Olympus (Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 07:02:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,302</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27533893</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fayfairy/pseuds/fayfairy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Taeyong wouldn't admit it but his relation to Apollo wasn't that of a worshipper's and a God's.<br/>He was falling in love with Apollo, and the closer thing he had to him was a statue.<br/>Cold, unresponsive and not able to return Taeyong's love and passion.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Taeyong &amp; Suh Youngho | Johnny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>He was the most ethereal looking man had seen, and he wasn’t even real.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Taeyong didn’t have the best life, but it was what he was used to, and he could handle it.</p><p>His mother died after giving birth to him and his father was his whole life.</p><p>He had given him so much love and taught him many things. Everything his father’s hands touched, became a masterpiece. He could create everything and he quickly got favored by kings and queens for his talent.</p><p>Of course, that did guarantee a rich or happy life. His father Daedalus, was now a prisoner, in King Minos and queen Pasiphaë ,in their palace Knossos, in Crete.</p><p>Taeyong had grew up in the enormous palace and was only allowed to places close to it, like the vast forest or the golden beaches, but was forbidden to getting on a boat and leaving the island.</p><p>As a kid, he didn’t mind. To be honest, he wasn’t even aware that they were prisoners.</p><p>Only as a teen he learned the truth. While secretly playing with the king’s daughter, she asked him if he was sad that his father and he could never leave. Taeyong was upset but also curious and begged her to tell him everything. The girl, Ariadne, was beautiful and a talented dancer. Her father and mother often left her alone, so after her classes she ran to Taeyong, so they could play, explore and dance till their feet hurt.</p><p>She looked so embarrassed while she was mumbling the truth, what she had overhead from her angry father. She couldn’t even look into his eyes. Taeyong was shocked, so shocked. It was the first time he found out that not all people were kind hearted and that they would do everything to get the Gods’ favors.</p><p>Zeus had gifted a bull to Minos. But her mother got such a sick desire. His father, Daedalus, had been summoned to Crete, where after being threatened with his son’s life (who was a baby and oblivious to the threats at that time), he helped Pasiphaë satisfy her unholy need.</p><p>That was how a monster was born. Half human, half bull, and with an unsatisfied and never-ending hunger for human blood. His father and he were kept as prisoners, so the talented creator would make a labyrinth for the hideous blood thirsty monster.</p><p>And while his father granted every demand, they were never freed because the queen did not accept it. She had that kid, that monster, not because it was a mother’s love for her offspring, but because she was looking for Zeus godly favors.</p><p>Taeyong had jumped up like someone had burned him. He ran to his small house like the said bull- human monster was chasing him, hot tears dampening his cheeks.</p><p>His spent most of his teen years trying to overcome the truth. His father had confirmed Ariadne’s words and Taeyong wasn’t sad because he had lost his freedom. After all, he never knew about it till now. But he was so sad for his dad. Not only did he become a prisoner to keep his son safe, he had also acted like everything was fine all these years, so Taeyong would have a happy childhood. His love for his father grew but so did his pain.</p><p>Taeyong didn’t know how t let go, how to calm down, how to forget that he wasn’t free, where normally, every teen was free to explore the world and rebel over the rules. He didn’t hang out with Ariadne. He wasn’t mad her, no, but he couldn’t stand the pity in her eyes, even if he knew she was just worried about him. Not wanting to hurt her, he told her he wanted some time alone, to think.</p><p>The first day of said week, he spent it next to his father, wanting to show his gratitude by helping his father create. Well, he always helped because he loved to create with his hands, always looking up to his father. But his father could see his son wasn’t the happy child he used to be, so he came up with something, to make him forget about their prisoned life.</p><p>He found a wood so expensive and with a beautiful color, like honey. He softened it up for days, giving it a certain shape and when it was ready, he added the strings. He made a lyre that could create heavenly sounds under the right touch and helped Taeyong play it till he fell in love with it. It wasn’t a difficult task, with how much Taeyong loved music and dancing.</p><p>The music Taeyong played managed to calm him down. He was in the forest, laying on the grass, against a tree, creating new melodies when Ariadne found him. The sky was like a drawing he had seen in the palace, hues of yellow, orange and pink on it and the remaining sunlight was peaking over the fluffy looking clouds.</p><p>“I want to show you something,” Ariadne said nervously, not knowing if Taeyong was ready to spend time with her again.</p><p>Taeyong smiled and stood up, holding the lyre on his side as he followed her in the woods.</p><p>When they reached the temple, Taeyong gasped and his eyes immediately traveled to the statues. But not both of them, even if their beauty was equal.</p><p>They were made of marble with gold decorations. He couldn’t help but look at the man’s statue first. The sunlight was bathing it, making it seem divine, like it was shining, the gold details did shine but what stood out where the parts of the body and face that the sun adored. The light created more shadows, making the curves, muscles and lines more prominent.</p><p>
  <em>He was the most ethereal looking man had seen, and he wasn’t even real.</em>
</p><p>Taeyong managed to look away from the statue for few seconds, scared of missing its heavenly beauty and he looked at Ariadne, seeing her praying to the statue of a beautiful woman.</p><p>“They are.. Apollo and.. Artemis, right?” He asked with a soft tone, like the statues would get offended if he didn’t know them. Don’t get him wrong, his father had taught him few things while he was a kid but Taeyong preferred things he could see, touch and make. He wasn’t really sure if he believed in gods, but he never voiced that since people could take it as blasphemy. And it wasn’t just that he didn’t believe, he also didn’t like them. Well, not the gods specifically. He didn’t like how humans could act in an inhumane way, just to get on the gods’ good side. He remembered crying a whole night after he had seen a sacrifice of animals to said gods.</p><p>“Yes. I am under Artemis’ protection,” Ariadne said when she was done praying, walking up to Taeyong who was back to admiring Apollo.</p><p>“Taeyong, I want you to join me at my classes. My teacher, a centaur, teaches me the blessings of Apollo and Artemis.” She added.</p><p>Taeyong agreed immediately. It was a way to let go and to learn new things. As Taeyong walked back to his house, he blushed when he had to admit to himself that he mostly agreed because he wanted to learn about Apollo.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is inspired of the myth of Apollo and Icarus.<br/>I don't own the characters or the myth but the plot and writing belong to me so please don't repost or steal.<br/>Leave kudos and comments if you like the story! You are more than welcomed to talk to me on my twitter @fayjohnnysfairy</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>How silly was he? As if a God would listen to him. He was sadly not the only worshipper of Apollo..</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Taeyong saw the centaur the next day, he was surprised. He couldn’t understand how someone with a horse’s body and a human’s torso and head could be so civilized and wise, while the half bull half human was a monster. Was he born a monster, or did humans make it one?</p><p>He didn’t voice any of his thoughts of course. His dad always teased him that he had taken his mother’s soft and kind heart and Taeyong didn’t want to laughed at for not being like Ariadne’s brothers that loved to kill.</p><p>They all sat at the grass and Taeyong was listening carefully to the teacher’s words as they all took in the warm sunlight. If Taeyong was pouting the whole time the man was talking about gods that weren’t <em>him</em>, no one commented on it.</p><p>But the moment they reached the story of Apollo and Artemis, twins of Zeus and Leto, both teens sat up, paying more attention, eyes glinting from excitement and curiousness. Taeyong could see that Ariadne really believed in Artemis and he found it.. endearing.</p><p>He didn’t mind listening about Artemis but the moment the teacher spoke about Apollo, Taeyong cleared his mind, ready to learn everything by heart.</p><p>He learned that he is the god of healing, medicine, archery, music, poetry, oracles, art and the sun, working with the god Helios.</p><p>Taeyong grinned when he learned that Apollo often held a lyre, like the one he played.</p><p>He wasn’t sure how many questions he had asked his teacher, but there were many. He was scared of seeming suspicious but his excitement took over.</p><p>When the class was over, he walked to the temple, sitting close to the statues, where he started writing down everything he had learned about Apollo, while occasionally glancing at him. When done with the notes, he couldn’t help but start sketching the god, based on the statue.</p><p>He hanged the drawing next to his bed, for him to be the last and the first thing he saw everyday.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>At the next classes, Taeyong let the teacher talk but he always made sure to ask him to teach them something that god Apollo stood for.</p><p>First, he asked to be taught poetry and taught they were. He had asked his father for some gold coins, and he bought his favorite poetry books from the ones he had learned with the centaur. Most of his favorite ones were romantic.</p><p>Taeyong would go back to the temple after each class, writing down what he learned, reading out poems, playing music and writing his own poems, about the beauty of Apollo.</p><p> </p><p>He even learned archery by the skilled teacher, even if he refused to throw anything at living animals and humans. His arrows would only touch trees or fruit. Taeyong was slowly becoming very good at it, his slim fingers but skilled hands and arms after years of creating things with his father, paid off, helping him throw the arrow to everything he put his eyes on, as long as ‘everything’ wasn’t breathing. Ariadne and their teacher, along with his father, were very proud of him and Taeyong had never been so happy, any thoughts about lost freedom long forgotten.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>On weekends, when they had no class, Taeyong would go to the palace’s doctor after begging Ariadne to tell the doctor to teach them about medicine and healing. Even if he wanted it because of Apollo, Taeyong found out that he adored to learn about every herb and plant that could help to different diseases. To pay off the doctor, when they had learned about herbs, they would go to the woods and search for them, plucking them up carefully, watering the rest and bringing them to the doctor’s room. The first time Taeyong had healed a dog, he cried from happiness and kept visiting it, to see it was okay.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He knew it was silly, but every time he went to the temple, he didn’t just draw, study, play music and write. He slowly, hesitatingly .. started to talk to Apollo. Well, the statue of him. He would tell him what he learned, what he achieved, every thought that came on his mind.</p><p>As days passed, he started to ask him questions he knew he would never get an answer to. He started complimenting him. He started showing his drawings, archery skills, the new songs and poems he wrote, as if all these things would gain the real Apollo’s attention. He was reading a poem to him, about how he wished he could see him, feel him, how they would be the best partners, when Ariadne walked to the temple, making Taeyong jump and close his notes with a bright pink face, staying silent.</p><p>Ariadne couldn’t help but giggle.</p><p>“It’s okay Taeyong, I talk to Artemis too. You know that they can hear you? All you have to do is say their names and then talk. They hear, I promise. Everything I’ve asked of Artemis happened after I gave her gifts. And when I talk to her, sometimes, she comes and talks to me in my dreams.” The girl said and put the flowers and fruits on Artemis’ leg. That’s something Taeyong liked about her, she didn’t like sacrifices either.</p><p> </p><p>Taeyong let her pray but was so jumpy and excited over that information. Did he really hear all the times Taeyong talked to him? Played music for him? But why hadn’t he visited him in his dreams? Maybe.. maybe because Taeyong had never offered gifts.</p><p>The next day, after the class, Taeyong walked into the woods, picking up the prettiest flowers and fresher fruit. He ran to the temple with a bring grin, offering the gifts at Apollo’s feet and bowing down.</p><p>“Apollo, uh.. Loving, wait no.. Admirable God Apollo. I’m.. I’m a worshipper.. a follower of everything you stand for and I want to apologize for not offering gifts before.. I hope you had listened to me all the previous times.. I have written beautiful poems and music for you, but it’s okay! I can read and sing again.. I..I wanted to ask.. could you come in my dreams too? I..I crave for you.. your presence! In my dreams for.. questions. I want to learn your favourite poems, songs, flowers and fruit..” Taeyong mumbled, stopping many times, blushing and shaking his head. When he was done with his speech, he ran back to his house, emberassed.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>How silly was he? As if a God would listen to him. He was sadly not the only worshipper of Apollo..</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is inspired of the myth of Apollo and Icarus.<br/>I don't own the characters or the myth but the plot and writing belong to me so please don't repost or steal.<br/>Leave kudos and comments if you like the story! You are more than welcomed to talk to me on my twitter @fayjohnnysfairy</p></blockquote></div></div>
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